Well, it took me a while, but finally I was able to upload a picture from Flickr to the blog.
yum
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Social networks
I'm interested in the concept of "Second Life", where people have created their own virtual world. It was mentioned on the Second Life Library Project that, for example, an area has been set up in the teenage demographic of second life. In this teenagers can access librarians and libraries in their normal life and their virtual life.
Social networks could also be used to advertise a library and its services. By setting up an account in the library's name, people can "make friends" with the library, and keep up-to-date with what the library is doing. Really, it's just another way to get more people aware of and involved with the library.
If it ended up being a successful social network, with lots of contacts to the library, it would also be a new way for informal book recommendations between different borrowers.
Social networks could also be used to advertise a library and its services. By setting up an account in the library's name, people can "make friends" with the library, and keep up-to-date with what the library is doing. Really, it's just another way to get more people aware of and involved with the library.
If it ended up being a successful social network, with lots of contacts to the library, it would also be a new way for informal book recommendations between different borrowers.
Google docs
I've been playing around with Google Docs presentations and I can see that this is easier than using, for example, powerpoint for a simple presentation, if several people are to be contributing to the presentation.
This could be used in libraries when library staff need to work together on a document, although it is very dependent on having fast internet connection that doesn't drop out. I really like that it keeps track of the changes that different people make, and when they make them. It makes it easier to go back to an earlier version and look at new changes.
This could be used in libraries when library staff need to work together on a document, although it is very dependent on having fast internet connection that doesn't drop out. I really like that it keeps track of the changes that different people make, and when they make them. It makes it easier to go back to an earlier version and look at new changes.
Mashups
I confess that I was dreading this week's activity- not at all in line with the fourth of the 7 1/2 Effective Habits of Lifelong Learners (identified by Helene Blowers) which is "Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner". I was utterly surprised how simple it can be.
So much empty white space- I feel like a holiday.
How to make use of this technology in a library? Well, many of these would make fun activities for children- the badge-makers, jigsaws, make-your-own-movie-posters etc. Library calendars would be great to give out, with different library events publicised (although it would be difficult to know library events a whole year in advance).
Podcasts
How could podcasts be used in a library? Well, the most obvious way would be to make a podcast of programs such as booktalks, visiting author talks and even storytimes. Although it doesn't offer the same community involvement, it makes the library programs open to more people. For example, author talks might always take place at lunchtime on a Thursday. This excludes people who are busy at that time from hearing the talk, even though they might be very interested. By podcasting, more people could hear the talk.
I'm not sure about podcasting storytimes. Although it would be possible, I don't think it offers the same benefits as storytime in person for children. While it mightn't be a substitute, children might still quite enjoy being "read a story" over the computer- at whatever time of day their schedule allows.
I'm not sure about podcasting storytimes. Although it would be possible, I don't think it offers the same benefits as storytime in person for children. While it mightn't be a substitute, children might still quite enjoy being "read a story" over the computer- at whatever time of day their schedule allows.
Answer boards
Answer boards do seem a good idea. People who regularly use libraries are already able to get help from librarians, but isn't it great that people who don't use libraries also have a chance to get the information they need in their lives.
Of course, the answer boards aren't always accurate or useful. "slamming the boards" is such a good idea! If librarians became involved, then there would be a possibility for people to receive helpful answers to their questions. It's also (as others have pointed out) a great opportunity to promote the value of librarians to the wider community.
Of course, the answer boards aren't always accurate or useful. "slamming the boards" is such a good idea! If librarians became involved, then there would be a possibility for people to receive helpful answers to their questions. It's also (as others have pointed out) a great opportunity to promote the value of librarians to the wider community.
del.icio.us
Well, I've joined the del.icio.us website. The link is http://del.icio.us/abcdetc I haven't tagged many websites yet, as I would have to spend a lot of time on the website to be sufficiently comfortable with it.
From looking at the more developed networks, I can see the benefits. While it is too big a task to catalogue websites, by having this informal folksonomy one gets many of the same benefits. I can see the potential benefits for research. When one website has been found, it is easy to look at other people's networks and tags and therefore find related websites. While I would use this type of searching for things like comics, I wouldn't want to do formal literature reviews through this type of folksonomy.
From looking at the more developed networks, I can see the benefits. While it is too big a task to catalogue websites, by having this informal folksonomy one gets many of the same benefits. I can see the potential benefits for research. When one website has been found, it is easy to look at other people's networks and tags and therefore find related websites. While I would use this type of searching for things like comics, I wouldn't want to do formal literature reviews through this type of folksonomy.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Videos online
Well, I have found the ultimate time-suckage device. Here are a few favourite videos from YouTube. The first one has a library theme, so the waste of time can be rationalised (sort of).
This next video is entirely unrelated to libraries, but I really rather like it.
As for using online videos in a library environment- it could be used to advertise upcoming events. I often get e-mails with YouTube links to amusing videos. Possibly a library could make a video advertising an upcoming event, then e-mail the interested borrowers with the link. It might take a long time to make the video, but it also might be more interesting than getting a newsletter in the mail.
This next video is entirely unrelated to libraries, but I really rather like it.
As for using online videos in a library environment- it could be used to advertise upcoming events. I often get e-mails with YouTube links to amusing videos. Possibly a library could make a video advertising an upcoming event, then e-mail the interested borrowers with the link. It might take a long time to make the video, but it also might be more interesting than getting a newsletter in the mail.
Wikis
Wikis are one type of technology which I have used before. However, I’ve never found them quite as useful as they appear to be. The ‘Wikis in plain English’ video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY said that it removed the need for e-mail for planning, for example, a camping trip. This is possible, if the people using the wikis are all very familiar with the technology. Whenever I’ve used wikis, all the people involved have e-mailed each other to say that they’ve put something new onto the wiki, which reduces the advantages of the wiki.
I really like the idea of having book reviews on a library wiki- borrowers would be able to contribute and read lots of reviews. It could easily become overloaded- as long as someone (such as a librarian) kept track of the reviews being put into simple categories such as detective fiction, picture books, biographies etc, it would be a great resource for a library.
I looked at the wiki http://www.libsuccess.org which has already become a favourite. It’s library staff from all over the world sharing ideas about programs, marketing, products and so much more. The great thing is that the more people who find and add to the wiki, the better it will get. Also, as anyone can contribute, it’s not dependent on a company continuing to run them. It’s dependent only on people contributing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY said that it removed the need for e-mail for planning, for example, a camping trip. This is possible, if the people using the wikis are all very familiar with the technology. Whenever I’ve used wikis, all the people involved have e-mailed each other to say that they’ve put something new onto the wiki, which reduces the advantages of the wiki.
I really like the idea of having book reviews on a library wiki- borrowers would be able to contribute and read lots of reviews. It could easily become overloaded- as long as someone (such as a librarian) kept track of the reviews being put into simple categories such as detective fiction, picture books, biographies etc, it would be a great resource for a library.
I looked at the wiki http://www.libsuccess.org which has already become a favourite. It’s library staff from all over the world sharing ideas about programs, marketing, products and so much more. The great thing is that the more people who find and add to the wiki, the better it will get. Also, as anyone can contribute, it’s not dependent on a company continuing to run them. It’s dependent only on people contributing.
RSS
Today I signed up for an RSS reader (if that is the right terminology) called Bloglines. I can see that this would be a useful tool to use if one regularly checked the same websites for updates. I liked that the news (or whatever feeds one chooses) just turn up to be checked. My normal morning routine involves checking the weather forecast on the Internet before get up. Using an RSS reader, I could have the weather forecast and some comics delivered to me before I even open the curtains. A disadvantage is that is allows for less browsing. For example, if I sign up for a feed from a newspaper, I get a list of the news stories. However, when I would normally go to the website, I get distracted by other interesting stories and end up reading more widely.
For my RSS reader, I subscribed to the following
• www.weather.com.au
• ABS blogs for librarians
• Calvin & Hobbes on www.gocomics.com
• Funny quote of the day from www.BrainyQuote.com
• Sydney Morning Herald
• Photo of the day from the Powerhouse Museum
People often ask in libraries what new books and dvds have been bought. One way of getting this information to borrowers could be for the library to set up an RSS feed listing the new items. Borrowers could then subscribe to the feed and therefore get the information delivered to them easily. Of course it wouldn’t help people who don’t use the Internet.
For my RSS reader, I subscribed to the following
• www.weather.com.au
• ABS blogs for librarians
• Calvin & Hobbes on www.gocomics.com
• Funny quote of the day from www.BrainyQuote.com
• Sydney Morning Herald
• Photo of the day from the Powerhouse Museum
People often ask in libraries what new books and dvds have been bought. One way of getting this information to borrowers could be for the library to set up an RSS feed listing the new items. Borrowers could then subscribe to the feed and therefore get the information delivered to them easily. Of course it wouldn’t help people who don’t use the Internet.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
About photosharing
I've been looking at the website www.Flickr.com and learning about photosharing. It seems a great idea, and really is so easy. I had come across photosharing before, but I didn't know that it has a name. I often get e-mails from people inviting me to look at their on-line photo album- particularly relatives who live overseas keep the whole family up-to-date with their lives by photosharing.
I have been trying for the last hour to add a link to a picture on Flickr which I really liked. However I've been profoundly unsuccessful. I therefore added this very dull picture which I took myself, simply to prove to myself that I am capable of adding a picture to a blog.
I probably won't set up a Flickr account, as I don't take many photos and it wouldn't really worry me to lose the photos I have.
Lee LeFever said on his video "Online Photosharing in Plain English" http://www.commoncraft.com/photosharing that an advantage of photosharing was that it is a back up in case your computer dies. I don't know whether using an online photosharing company would really be that secure- what happened if the company closed and the website was taken down? Am I too accustomed to information on the web disappearing?
I have been trying for the last hour to add a link to a picture on Flickr which I really liked. However I've been profoundly unsuccessful. I therefore added this very dull picture which I took myself, simply to prove to myself that I am capable of adding a picture to a blog.
I probably won't set up a Flickr account, as I don't take many photos and it wouldn't really worry me to lose the photos I have.
Lee LeFever said on his video "Online Photosharing in Plain English" http://www.commoncraft.com/photosharing that an advantage of photosharing was that it is a back up in case your computer dies. I don't know whether using an online photosharing company would really be that secure- what happened if the company closed and the website was taken down? Am I too accustomed to information on the web disappearing?
Learning to blog...
Hello,
this is my first ever blog, and the concept is still very new to me. Although people are always saying how great technology is, and how much one can do with technology, I've never really understood how. I suppose that's why I signed up for the New South Wales Public Libraries Learning 2.0.
The main thing I'd like to learn from doing this program is the practical applications of all these new technologies. Wikis and podcasts still confuse me and I'd never even heard of mashups and RSS.
One of the prompt questions for the 2.0 course was "What do you think about Lifelong learning?". Well, I think it's fairly necessary. I can't imagine being able to function without actively trying to be a lifelong learner. It would be hard to find a job if one didn’t constantly try to learn more about one’s field.
Whenever I've heard of blogs before, it has been in the context of an online journal. I hadn't ever considered using it in a library until I saw those example blogs- particularly the Southern Tablelands History Matters http://strlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/ It's such a good idea of getting people interested in the topic area.
Hmmm, here's a new conundrum- how does one finish a blog posting? Is it the same as a letter?
this is my first ever blog, and the concept is still very new to me. Although people are always saying how great technology is, and how much one can do with technology, I've never really understood how. I suppose that's why I signed up for the New South Wales Public Libraries Learning 2.0.
The main thing I'd like to learn from doing this program is the practical applications of all these new technologies. Wikis and podcasts still confuse me and I'd never even heard of mashups and RSS.
One of the prompt questions for the 2.0 course was "What do you think about Lifelong learning?". Well, I think it's fairly necessary. I can't imagine being able to function without actively trying to be a lifelong learner. It would be hard to find a job if one didn’t constantly try to learn more about one’s field.
Whenever I've heard of blogs before, it has been in the context of an online journal. I hadn't ever considered using it in a library until I saw those example blogs- particularly the Southern Tablelands History Matters http://strlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/ It's such a good idea of getting people interested in the topic area.
Hmmm, here's a new conundrum- how does one finish a blog posting? Is it the same as a letter?
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